College Basketball
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Quick Hits from Day 2 at the 2025 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament

INDIANAPOLIS — The second day of the Big Ten Tournament was action packed, and that might be putting it lightly. The day started with Minnesota coach Ben Johnson getting fired upon his arrival back in Minneapolis and ended with a near scrum between USC players and a couple of heckling Purdue fans.

In between, we also saw Fran McCaffery lose his cool on the court, John Tonje showcase his talent and the highest-scoring game in Big Ten Tournament history.

Here’s the rundown from Day 2 in Indianapolis.

Day 2 final scores

A change at Minnesota

Ben Johnson just endured the worst flight back to Minneapolis. In the early morning hours on Thursday, Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle announced that the school was parting ways with the head basketball coach after four seasons.

Minnesota ended the 2024-25 campaign with a 15-17 record and was defeated by Northwestern in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. Johnson ends his time with the Golden Gophers with a 56-71 record.

The really sad part? Coyle released a statement at approximately 2 a.m. ET. Essentially, Johnson was fired as soon as the team returned from Indianapolis.

“The expectation for our program is to compete for championships, and unfortunately, we have not done that in the last four years,” Coyle’s statement read. “This is an extremely desirable job in one of the best conferences and cities in the nation, and we fully expect to compete at the highest level on and off the court.”

McCaffery hits the showers

Fran McCaffery’s time in the Big Ten Tournament ended before his team was eliminated. Less than seven minutes into the second half of Thursday’s game between Iowa and Illinois, the coach was ejected after receiving a pair of technical fouls.

McCaffery began chirping with an official at about the 13:30 mark of the second half with the Hawkeyes trailing the Illini 69-60. Not overly animated, he must’ve said a few magic words, because he did enough to receive an ejection from the contest.

It didn’t provide any motivation for the Hawkeyes, either. Iowa lost a 106-94 decision to the Fighting Illini, likely bringing an end to their season.

Highest-scoring game in Big Ten Tournament history

Sticking with the Iowa-Illinois game for an extra minute, the 106-94 final gave us a grand total of 200 points, making it the highest-scoring Big Ten Tournament game in history. If offense is your thing, then this was definitely your game.

Indiana will be sweating on Selection Sunday

Well, the Hoosiers are leaving their fate in the hands of the selection committee. With a chance to essentially guarantee a spot in the NCAA Tournament field on Thursday, Indiana laid an egg. Oregon handed IU a 72-59 loss, putting its March Madness hopes in jeopardy.

Indiana ended the year 19-13, but had signature wins over Purdue and Michigan State. The Hoosiers also beat Ohio State — another bubble team — twice.

There’s still a good chance the Hoosiers are included in the Field of 68, even if it’s a spot in the First Four. But they’ll certainly be sweating on Selection Sunday.

Tonje steals the show in first Big Ten Tournament

The lights at Gainbridge Fieldhouse were not too bright for John Tonje. The sixth-year senior at Wisconsin had a really strong outing on Thursday, finishing the game with 18 points and seven rebounds.

But it wasn’t just the stat line that was impressive from Tonje, it was how he got his buckets. The veteran guard had a pair of big dunks in Thursday’s 70-63 win over Northwestern. He also hit a buzzer beater to close the first half.

It was a solid outing for Tonje, who was playing in his first game in the Big Ten Tournament. Can he follow it up with another strong performance on Friday when the Badgers battle UCLA in the quarterfinals?

A near fight at Gainbridge Fieldhouse?

Apparently, some on-court emotions spilled over after Thursday night’s finale between Purdue and USC. Following the game, a video posted on social media captured several Trojans players getting into a heated exchange while being held back by security.

The individual who posted the video claims that two Purdue fans were heckling USC players after the game. That’s when things got heated. There has not been confirmation on if that’s what transpired at this time.

Thursday’s game between Purdue and USC was a tough battle until the very end. Plus, Trojans coach Eric Musselman believed the Boilermakers were on the right side of a few beneficial calls in the last minute, which probably amplified the frustration.

It seemed like cooler heads eventually prevailed and nothing too serious unfolded at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

DAY 1 AT BIG TEN TOURNAMENT: Chris Collins wasn’t pleased with his team’s hotel accommodations, Ohio State’s bubble is burst and more from Day 1 at the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament. CLICK HERE

ALL-BIG TEN TEAMS ANNOUNCED: The All-Big Ten men’s basketball teams for the 2024-25 season were announced on Tuesday, as well as winners of the individual awards. CLICK HERE

2024-25 TRANSFER PORTAL DATES: In late March, the transfer portal windows will open in both men’s and women’s college basketball. There will be a 30-day window for players to enter. CLICK HERE

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